The subject matter described and illustrated herein relates generally to electrical contacts, and more particularly, to the electrical contacts of an interposer.
Interconnect devices are sometimes used to provide electrical connection between different electrical components, such as, but not limited to, integrated circuits and printed circuit boards, for example when removal, replacement, and/or testing of the electrical components is desired. Many of these electrical components have electrical contacts arranged in a “land grid array” (LGA) which is a two-dimensional array of contact pads. One type of interconnect device, known as an “interposer”, has an array of electrical contacts which is placed between the two opposing arrays of the electrical components to provide an electrical connection between the electrical contacts of the opposing arrays.
Establishing reliable contact between the electrical contacts of the opposing electrical component arrays and the electrical contacts of the interposer may sometimes be difficult due to, for example, misalignment between electrical contacts of the opposing electrical component arrays and/or the electrical contacts of the interposer. Moreover, it may be difficult to provide the electrical contacts of the interposer with a shape that facilitates mechanical stability between the interposer and the electrical components. Some known interposers use elastomeric elements that are compressed by the electrical contacts of the opposing electrical component arrays such that the elastomeric elements apply a mechanical force to the electrical contacts to facilitate establishing and maintaining reliable electrical contact between the opposing electrical component arrays. Compression of the elastomeric elements may allow for some degree of misalignment of the electrical contacts of the interposer and/or the opposing electrical component arrays. However, at least some known interposers that use elastomeric elements may still suffer from misalignment and/or a less than desired mechanical stability between electrical contacts of the opposing electrical component arrays and/or the electrical contacts of the interposer. Moreover, some known interposers require that a substrate of the interposer be dielectric to electrically insulate the electrical contacts of the interposer from each other.
What is needed therefore is an interposer having less misalignment and/or greater mechanical stability than at least some known interposers. Moreover, what is needed is an interposer that does not require a dielectric substrate.